Content distribution system, content distribution method, and computer program

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure has a configuration in which a distributor who performs a separate distribution that is different from this live content, or a viewer who views this separate distribution can participate in a virtual space and express intent or participate in visual recognition through the commitment of a virtual item.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/059,314, filed Nov. 27, 2020, which is a national phase ofInternational Application No. PCT/JP2019/029106, filed Jul. 24, 2019,which claims priority to and the benefit of Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2018-150864, filed Jul. 25, 2018, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a content distribution system, acontent distribution method, and a computer program.

ART

Recently, a service for distributing a live content through a networkhas prevailed as internet live broadcasting. In such internet livebroadcasting, a technology has been proposed in which a distributorappears in a virtual space as a virtual character (an avatar), and animage thereof is distributed as a live content. In such a live content,an image in which the operation of the distributor is synthesized as theoperation of the virtual character is distributed by a motion capturetechnology.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a configuration is disclosed in whicha three-dimensional space image from a free viewpoint including theviewpoint of a third person is generated by allowing an avatar on avirtual space to act the own behavior, and thus, a video is preparedwithout inconvenience of carrying photographic equipment in the actualspace, cumbersomeness of asking the other person to take a photograph,or the like.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, it is proposed that when liveperformance is performed in the real world, a performer can be even moreexcited by giving a celebration or flowers to the performer, andaccording to this, even in a video sharing service, in order to obtainthe same effect, a virtual item purchased by a viewer of a content(indicating a “broadcasting program” in which a video is shared betweenviewers, such as a live content) is managed in association with thecontent, and is used as an item for decorating a display screen of thecontent. As the virtual item, for example, the viewer of the contentpurchases flowers, letters, logos, and the like as a “decoration”, anddisposes the flowers, the letters, the logos, and the like in anyposition on the display screen, and thus, decorates the display screen.

CITATION LIST Patent Document

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4,637,889-   Patent Document 2: JP-A-2012-120098

SUMMARY

However, in a technology of the related art relevant to a system inwhich a viewer performs commitment of a virtual item such as adecoration with respect to a virtual space in the internet livebroadcasting or the like using the virtual space, the following seriousproblems have not been solved yet.

In the case of using the decoration described above as an example, it isconsidered that a performer or a relevant person of a live content (asinger, a dancer, a player, a lecturer, a director, a stage director, aproducer, a sponsor, and the like) wants the live content to be viewedby a wider range of viewers and a virtual item as a symbol of support,compliment, or praise, such as the decoration of the patent documentdescribed above, to be displayed on a content screen when the contentsare supported.

Further, it is desirable that a symbol item of the support such as thedecoration that is displayed with an effort is visually recognized by awider range of viewers, and the support is more widespread.

However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2 describedabove, the viewer capable of performing the commitment of the decorationis only a viewer who has been watching the content voluntarily, andthus, it is difficult to obtain the commitment of the decoration that isthe symbol of the support from a wider range of targets.

Similarly, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2 describedabove, only the viewer who has been watching the live contentvoluntarily just watches the decoration subjected to the commitment bythe other viewer in the live content, and thus, it is not possible toassume that the decoration is visually recognized by a wider range oftargets and the circle of support is widespread.

The present invention has been made in consideration of thecircumstances described above, and an object thereof is to provide acontent distribution system, a content distribution method, and acomputer program, in which it is possible to obtain the commitment of avirtual item that is a symbol of support with respect to a live contentfrom a wider range of target people not limited to a viewer of a livecontent that is a target, it is possible for a wider range of targetpeople not limited to the viewer of the live content to visuallyrecognize the virtual item that is the symbol of the support, and it ispossible to make the circle of support with respect to the live contentwidespread.

In order to attain the object described above, the present inventionprovides a content distribution system, a content distribution method,and a computer program according to 1) to 7) described below.

1)

A content distribution system characterized by including:

a participation accepting unit accepting a participation request of adistributor of the other live content with respect to a virtual spacethat is used in distribution by a distributor of a live content;

an information acquisition unit acquiring motion information indicatinga movement of each of the distributor of the live content and thedistributor of the other live content, and information of each virtualcharacter;

an image distribution unit distributing images of the virtual space andeach of the virtual characters to a viewer of the live content and aviewer of the other live content, on the basis of each of theinformation items acquired by the information acquisition unit; and

a commitment accepting unit accepting commitment of a new virtual itemwith respect to the virtual space by each of the distributors or each ofthe viewers,

in which the distribution of the virtual space and each of the virtualcharacters is performed by including an image of the new virtual itemsubjected to the commitment.

2)

The content distribution system according to 1), characterized in thatthe new virtual item subjected to the commitment includes motioninformation that is movement information, and the motion information isused in the distribution performed by the image distribution unit.

3)

The content distribution system according to 2), characterized in thatthe motion information indicating the movement of each of thedistributor of the live content and the distributor of the other livecontent, and the motion information that is the movement information ofthe new virtual item subjected to the commitment are stored and/ortransmitted by a common configuration unit.

4)

A content distribution method characterized by including:

a participation accepting step of accepting a participation request of adistributor of the other live content with respect to a virtual spacethat is used in distribution by a distributor of a live content;

an information acquisition step of acquiring motion informationindicating a movement of each of the distributor of the live content andthe distributor of the other live content, and information of eachvirtual character;

an image distribution step of distributing images of the virtual spaceand each of the virtual characters to a viewer of the live content and aviewer of the other live content, on the basis of each of theinformation items acquired in the information acquisition step; and

a commitment accepting step of accepting commitment of a new virtualitem with respect to the virtual space by each of the distributors oreach of the viewers,

in which the distribution of the virtual space and each of the virtualcharacters is performed by including an image of the new virtual itemsubjected to the commitment.

5)

The content distribution method according to 4), characterized in thatthe new virtual item subjected to the commitment includes motioninformation that is movement information, and the motion information isused in the distribution performed in the image distribution step.

6)

The content distribution method according to 5), characterized in thatthe motion information indicating the movement of each of thedistributor of the live content and the distributor of the other livecontent, and the motion information that is the movement information ofthe new virtual item subjected to the commitment are stored and/ortransmitted by a common configuration unit.

7)

A computer program for allowing a computer to execute:

each of the steps of the content distribution method according to anyone of 4) to 6).

According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a contentdistribution system, a content distribution method, and a computerprogram, in which it is possible to obtain the commitment of a virtualitem that is a symbol of support with respect to a live content from awider range of target people not limited to a viewer of a live contentthat is a target, it is possible for a wider range of target people notlimited to the viewer of the live content to visually recognize thevirtual item that is the symbol of the support, and it is possible tomake the circle of support with respect to the live content widespread.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of acontent distribution receiving system according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a content distribution server of thecontent distribution receiving system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic view describing data of an avatar of the contentdistribution receiving system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a first distributor terminal of the contentdistribution receiving system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a first viewer terminal of the contentdistribution receiving system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a schematic external view of the first viewer terminal of FIG.5 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram including display of a comment in the schematicexternal view of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a signal flowchart of content viewing before commondistribution, which is executed by the content distribution receivingsystem of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a first virtual space before the commondistribution, in the content distribution receiving system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of rendering seen from each viewpoint, inthe virtual space illustrated in FIG. 9 .

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a second virtual space before the commondistribution, in the content distribution receiving system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of rendering seen from each viewpoint, inthe virtual space illustrated in FIG. 11 .

FIG. 13 is a signal flowchart of commitment of a virtual item before thecommon distribution, which is executed by the content distributionreceiving system of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the first virtual space before the commondistribution, in which the commitment of the virtual item is performed,in the content distribution receiving system of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of rendering seen from each viewpoint, inthe virtual space illustrated in FIG. 14 .

FIG. 16 is a signal flowchart of execution of the common distribution,which is executed by the content distribution receiving system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the first virtual space after the commondistribution is started, in the content distribution receiving system ofthe present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of rendering seen from each viewpoint, inthe virtual space illustrated in FIG. 17 .

FIG. 19 is a signal flowchart in a case where the commitment of thevirtual item after the common distribution is started, which is executedby the content distribution receiving system of the present invention,is performed from the first viewer terminal.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the first virtual space after the commondistribution is started, in which the commitment of the virtual item isperformed, in the content distribution receiving system of the presentinvention.

FIG. 21 is a schematic view of rendering seen from each viewpoint, inthe virtual space illustrated in FIG. 20 .

FIG. 22 is a signal flowchart in a case where the commitment of thevirtual item after the common distribution is started, which is executedby the content distribution receiving system of the present invention,is performed from the second viewer terminal.

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of the first virtual space after the commondistribution is started, in which the commitment of the virtual item isperformed, in the content distribution receiving system of the presentinvention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic view of rendering seen from each viewpoint, inthe virtual space illustrated in FIG. 23 .

FIG. 25 is a schematic view illustrating an application example in acase where motion information is added to the virtual item forcommitment, in the content distribution receiving system of the presentinvention.

FIG. 26 is a schematic view illustrating an application example in acase where the motion information is added to the virtual item forcommitment, in the content distribution receiving system of the presentinvention.

FIG. 27 is a schematic view illustrating another aspect of the virtualitem for commitment, in the content distribution receiving system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 28 is a schematic view illustrating another aspect of the virtualitem for commitment, in the content distribution receiving system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 29 is a schematic view illustrating another aspect of the virtualitem for commitment, in the content distribution receiving system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 30 is a schematic view illustrating another aspect of the virtualitem for commitment, in the content distribution receiving system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the contentdistribution server or the like, in the content distribution receivingsystem of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present disclosure will bedescribed. Note that, this embodiment described below is merely anexample, various modifications can be made within a range not departingfrom the spirit of the present invention, and such modifications arealso included in the present invention.

[Configuration of Content Distribution Receiving System 1]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of acontent distribution receiving system 1 according to the presentinvention.

The content distribution receiving system 1 includes a contentdistribution server 2, a first distributor terminal 11, a first viewerterminal 12, a second distributor terminal 21, and a second viewerterminal 22, and such configurations are connected to each other throughan internet communication network 3 or the other communication networksuch that data exchange can be performed. The content distributionserver 2 is a server configured such that a general-purpose computer isoperated by a dedicated computer program.

The first distributor terminal 11 is a personal computer that is used inthe distribution of a live content using a first virtual space 30described below and is used by a distributor staging the live content.The first viewer terminal 12 is a personal computer that is used by aviewer viewing the live content described above, or may be attained byusing various information terminals such as a smart phone or a personaldigital assistant (PDA).

The second distributor terminal 21 is a personal computer that is usedin the distribution of a live content using a second virtual space 40described below and is used by a distributor staging the live content.The second viewer terminal 22 is a personal computer that is used by aviewer viewing the live content described above, or may be attained byusing various information terminals such as a smart phone or a personaldigital assistant (PDA).

The first distributor terminal 11 and the first viewer terminal 12 willbe collectively referred to as a first content distribution group 10,and similarly, the second distributor terminal 21 and the second viewerterminal 22 will be collectively referred to as a second contentdistribution group 20. Each of the distribution groups shares each livecontent distribution stream in each of the groups 10 and 20 at a stagewhere the common distribution of the live content is not implementedyet.

Note that, in order to simplify and clarify the configurationillustrated in FIG. 1 and the above description, the number of terminalsto be configured is limited, but in the implementation, it is obviousthat a larger number of distributor terminals, a larger number of viewerterminals, and a larger number of content distribution groups can beincluded.

[Configuration of Content Distribution Server 2]

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the content distribution server 2 includes aninput/output interface 2 a that is a data transmission terminal insideand outside the server, and a control unit 2 b that is a centralprocessing unit (CPU) controlling the operation of each configuration ofthe server 2.

Similarly, a motion information storage unit 2 c of the server 2 storesdata relevant to a motion of an avatar (a human substitution displayobject) that is a virtual item, data of the virtual item such as acommitment item, and the like, to be transmitted from each of thedistributor terminals or each of the viewer terminals, and as necessary,transmits the data to a necessary transmission destination.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , the motion information storageunit 2 c determines whether to prepare appearance data 7-1 of the avatarby the viewer terminal or the like described below or to selectappearance data that is prepared and provided by the system, bydesignating a uniform resource locator (URL) of the appearance datadisposed on a network. Then, as motion data 7-2 that is a result ofsensing the movement of each part of the body of the viewer or the like,as illustrated in FIG. 3(B), position information and movementinformation are obtained by using each part of the body as a joint 7-2a. Information of a ramus 7-2 b connecting the joints 7-2 a may befurther generated to clarify a relationship between the joints 7-2 a.

A content distribution unit 2 d receives a live content generated in animage by each of the distributor terminals or the like performing arendering operation, and transmits the live content to each terminalthat has requested viewing to be provided to the viewing. For example,as illustrated in FIG. 3(C), in the rendering with respect to theavatar, the position or the movement of each part of the appearance data7-1 is obtained from the motion data 7-2, and rendering data 7-3 of theavatar indicating the current position or the current movement of theavatar is generated. Note that, the rendering can be performed by usingthe appearance data 7-1 of the avatar that is still image data, and thedata of the joint 7-2 a or the ramus 7-2 b, but not a video, and thus,the appearance data 7-1 is the still image data and has small datacapacity, the data of the joint 7-2 a or the ramus 7-2 b is coordinatedata or motion vector data of the limited number of points but not imagedata and has small capacity, and as a result thereof, it is possible toextremely decrease a load on a transmission path or hardware necessaryfor the transmission, the reception, the storage, or the rendering ofthe data. Further, insofar as the appearance data 7-1 of the avatar isdesignated by a uniform resource locator (URL) but not raw image data,it is possible to perform the transmission or the storage with smallerletter string data. Advantages thereof are to obtain the same effectregardless of which configuration of the system the appearance data orthe motion data is generated, transmitted, stored, and rendered with,and are the common effect at the time of rendering the virtual objectnot limited to a human avatar. Note that, in the attached drawings, aschematic view of the avatar illustrated in each part is simplydisplayed, and the movement of four extremities are not written, butsuch illustration indicates the rendering data 7-3 of the avatar asillustrated in FIG. 3(C).

As described below, a common distribution accepting unit 2 e accepts anapplication for common distribution of the other live content during thecurrent distribution, from a distributor terminal that is used by adistributor who stages and distributes a certain live content, andgenerates and transmits information for requesting the commondistribution to a terminal of the other distributor staging the otherlive content.

A program storage unit 2 f stores a program for attaining each executionoperation of the server 2.

A user management unit 2 g retains information of the distributorterminal that is used by the distributor staging each live contentdescribed above, the viewer terminal that is used by the viewer viewingthe live content, and the distributor terminal that is used by the otherdistributor performing the common distribution of the live content andthe viewer terminal that is used by the viewer thereof, as data such asan internet protocol (IP) address, and thus, it is possible to findwhich terminal a certain live content is transmitted to by using theinformation stored in the user management unit 2 g, and therefore, inthe this system 1, a suitable live content is transmitted to a suitableterminal.

In addition, the user management unit 2 g also records information suchas the history of a virtual item subjected to commitment in a virtualspace that is used by each of the live contents, and the type of item.

A commitment item accepting unit 2 h accepts the commitment of a virtualitem indicating support or praise with respect to the live content, fromthe terminal viewing the live content, and transmits the information ofthe virtual item to the distributor terminal staging the live content ofthe other person performing the commitment. As a result thereof, thevirtual item subjected to the commitment is displayed on a displayscreen of the live content subjected to the commitment.

A bus line 2 i connects the configurations of the server 2 to each othersuch that data exchange can be performed.

The first distributor terminal 11 and the second distributor terminal 21have a common configuration, and hereinafter, the first distributorterminal 11 will be described as an example.

[Configuration of First Distributor Terminal 11]

As illustrated in FIG. 4 , first, the first distributor terminal 11includes an input/output interface 11 a that is an informationinput/output terminal inside and outside the terminal, and a controlunit 11 b that is CPU controlling each configuration of the terminal 11.

In order for the distributor to allow an avatar that is the own virtualalter ego to appear in the virtual space and to perform a desiredmotion, an avatar manipulation unit 11 c acquires the motion data byusing data obtained by photographing the own movement with anacceleration sensor or a 3D camera mounted on the own body, or dataobtained by sensing the movement of each part of the own body with aDoppler sensor, and transmits the motion data to the server 2.

In order to attain the common distribution of the live content, a motioninformation accepting unit 11 d stores the motion data of the otherdistributor, received from the distributor terminal through the server2, or the viewer, and uses the motion data in the rendering. Note that,in addition to the common distribution, in a case where theparticipation of the avatar is applied from the viewer of the livecontent that is staged by the distributor, the motion data of the avatarof the viewer is received and recorded, and is used in the rendering ofthe live content. In addition, the motion information accepting unit 11d also receives and stores the information of the virtual item subjectedto the commitment from the other distributor or the viewer to beprovided for the rendering of the live content as with the avatar, andthus, even in the commonly distributed live content, the virtual itemsubjected to the commitment can be viewed by a wide range of targetpeople including a viewer of a distribution group of a commondistribution destination.

A rendering unit 11 e performs drawing (rendering) for visualizing thevirtual space by using the motion data of the avatar, the data of thevirtual item subjected to the commitment, a background image of thevirtual space, and the data of the virtual item disposed in the virtualspace, and transmits the obtained image of the virtual space to theserver 2 as the live content to be provided for the distribution.

A display unit 11 f performs screen display in order for the distributorto view the live content or in order to perform various manipulations,and is attained by a display panel of a personal computer, a goggle-typehead mount display (HMD) mounted on the face, and the like.

A manipulation unit 11 g is used by the distributor to manipulatevarious operations, and may be a keyboard of a personal computer, amouse, and a touchpanel, or may be a device that is manipulated bymotion data of a manipulator. A program storage unit 11 h may store acomputer program necessary for the distribution or the viewing of thelive content, and may include a general-purpose computer operatingsystem (OS), an internet browsing program (a browser), and the like. Adata storage unit 11 i stores background data of the virtual space usedin the live content, the data of the virtual item, and the like.

In order for the commitment of the virtual item in the other livecontent or the like that is commonly distributed by the distributor, acommitment item posting unit 11 j stores the data of the virtual item,but the distributor terminal 11 may be used as the viewer terminal 12,in accordance with the situation, and thus, is disposed as with theviewer terminal 12. A comment posting unit 11 k has a configuration forposting a comment that is letter information displayed over the displayscreen of the live content to the server 2. A bus line 11 m connects theconfigurations of the distributor terminal 11 to each other such thatdata exchange can be performed.

The first viewer terminal 12 and the second viewer terminal 22 have acommon configuration, and hereinafter, the first viewer terminal 12 willbe described as an example.

[Configuration of First Viewer Terminal 12]

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the first viewer terminal 12 includes aninput/output interface 12 a that is a data transmission and receptionterminal inside and outside the terminal 12, and a control unit 12 bthat is a central processing unit (CPU) controlling each part of theterminal 12.

In order for the distributor to allow an avatar that is the own virtualalter ego to appear in the virtual space and to perform a desiredmotion, an avatar manipulation unit 12 c acquires the motion data byusing data obtained by photographing the own movement with anacceleration sensor or a 3D camera mounted on the own body, or dataobtained by sensing the movement of each part of the own body with aDoppler sensor, and transmits the motion data to the server 2.

In order for the viewer to allow the own avatar to appear in the livecontent that the viewer is viewing, an avatar posting unit 12 e is usedfor posting the appearance data of the avatar or the motion datadescribed above to the server 2.

A display unit 12 f performs screen display in order for the viewer toview the live content or in order to perform various manipulations, andis attained by a display panel of a personal computer, a goggle-typehead mount display (HMD) mounted on the face, and the like.

A manipulation unit 12 g is used by the viewer to manipulate variousoperations, and may be a keyboard of a personal computer, a mouse, and atouch panel, or may be a device that is manipulated by the motion dataof the manipulator. A program storage unit 12 h may store a computerprogram necessary for the viewing of the live content, and may include ageneral-purpose computer operating system (OS), an internet browsingprogram (a browser), and the like. A data storage unit 12 i storesvarious data items.

In order for the commitment of the virtual item in the live content thatthe viewer is viewing, a commitment item posting unit 12 j stores thedata of the virtual item. A comment posting unit 12 k has aconfiguration for posting a comment that is the letter informationdisplayed over the display screen of the live content to the server 2. Abus line 12 m connects the configurations of the viewer terminal 12 toeach other such that data exchange can be performed.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an appearance in the case of attainingthe first viewer terminal 12 by a personal computer, and in a case wherethe viewer performs connection with respect to the server 2 by inputtinga uniform resource locator (URL) known in advance, in order to use theservice of the this system 1, necessary data and a JavaScript(Registered Trademark) program are sent from the server 2, and a portalscreen of a video distribution service is displayed on a display panel12-1 displaying various images, a still image, a moving image, or letterinformation.

The viewer selects in advance a live content that the viewer wants toview from a display list (not illustrated), and FIG. 5 illustrates asituation in which the contents of the live content (the broadcastingprogram) are currently displayed. Here, in order to avoid cumbersomeillustration, the comment that is the letter information posted fromeach viewer viewing the live content is not illustrated in FIG. 6 .

In FIG. 6 , the display panel 12-1 includes a video display area 12-1 afor displaying a live content video, and in the video display area 12-1a, an avatar 12-1 b of a first distributor, an avatar 12-1 c of a seconddistributor who performs the common distribution, a first commitmentitem 12-1 d representing a ribbon-type appearance, which is subjected tothe commitment from any viewer viewing the live content in order for thesupport, the praise, or the like with respect to the live content, and atree 12-1 n and a house 12-1 o that are a virtual item disposed in avirtual space in which the live content is used are displayed.

Similarly, a home button display 12-1 e for returning to a portal page(not illustrated) of the video distribution service, a reproduction stopbutton display 12-1 f used in a case where the content that is beingviewed is not the live broadcasting but the reproduction content, apause button display 12-1 g, and a reproduction button display 12-1 hare respectively displayed on the display panel 12-1.

A comment posting button display 12-1 i in the display panel 12-1 is abutton for posting the comment described above with respect to thecontent that the viewer is viewing, and similarly, an item commitmentbutton display 12-1 j is a button for a commitment action of the virtualitem for indicating the support, the praise, or the like with respect tothe content during the viewing.

In a case where the content is the reproduction content, in a seek bardisplay 12-1 k, the position of a seek button display 12-1 m indicatesthe current reproduction time by allowing a reproduction start time tocorrespond to the left end and a reproduction end time to correspond tothe right end, and it is possible to move the position of the seekbutton display 12-1 m to a time that the viewer wants to perform thereproduction, with a mouse pointer 12-3. As the manipulation unit 12 gdescribed above, there are the mouse pointer 12-3 and a mouse cursor12-2, and a keyboard 12-4 is also provided in the viewer terminal 12.

FIG. 7 illustrates a situation in which a comment 12-1 r is furtherdisplayed in the display panel 12-1, on the viewer terminal 12illustrated in FIG. 6 , and the comment 12-1 r of the contents such as“Thank you for uploading!!”, “Oh, I know there”, “Me, too.”, “I've beenthere.”, “Tell me the name of the hotel you stayed at!?”, “Isn't itquite expensive?”, “It doesn't seem so expensive.”, and “Request foruploading food pictures” appears from the right end of the display panel12-1, is moved to the left end by scroll movement, and disappears. Arange in which the comment 12-1 r is displayed is larger than the videodisplay area 12-1 a for displaying the live content video and is set toextend over the video display area 12-1 a, and thus, the viewer iscapable of clearly understanding that the comment 12-r is not theoriginal contents of a content, but is posted from a separate poster.

[Distribution and Viewing of Content]

Next, an operation until the live content that is posted and distributedfrom the first distributor terminal 11 is viewed by the first viewerterminal 12 will be described by using each of a signal-flow graph ofFIG. 7 , a schematic view of the first virtual space of FIG. 9 , and adiagram of a rendering result seen from each viewpoint of FIG. 10 .

A distributor who plans to stage and distribute a live content appliescontent distribution to the server 2 by using the first distributorterminal (step S101). In a case where the server 2 permits thedistribution, the permission is notified to the first distributorterminal 12 from the server 2 (step S102), and the server 2 displays thelive content as a content that can be viewed on a suitable page of adistribution service site (step S103).

The distribution is permitted, and thus, the first distributor terminal11 transmits motion data relevant to avatar display of the firstdistributor to the server 2 from each of the virtual items in the firstvirtual space illustrated in FIG. 9 , as the live content, and starts totransmit a rendering image of the first virtual space seen from theavatar of the first distributor (FIG. 10(A), all items in the firstvirtual space seen from a first avatar 12-1 b are rendered, and the sameapplies to the followings) and a rendering image seen from a firstvirtual camera having a field angle of θ1 (may be a fixed field angle ora zoomable field angle), disposed in the first virtual space (FIG.10(B)) to the server 2 (step S104). The virtual camera is notnecessarily disposed in the center as illustrated, but the installationlocation thereof may be arbitrary, the virtual camera may be moved, or aplurality of virtual cameras may be installed. In addition, the virtualcamera may be added in the middle of the live content. In addition, thevirtual camera can also be installed or moved by the viewer of the livecontent, the other distributor performing the common distribution, and aviewer of the other content to be commonly distributed. The operation ofthe virtual cameras is common to other parts of the presentspecification, and in order to avoid complication in the followingdescription, only one virtual camera is exemplified in each virtualspace.

According to the list, a viewer who knows the existence of the livecontent during the broadcasting applies the viewing of the live contentto the server 2 from the first viewer terminal 12 (step S105), and as aresult thereof, the rendering image of the first virtual space seen fromthe avatar of the first distributor (FIG. 10(A)) and the rendering imageseen from the first virtual camera (FIG. 10(B)) are continuouslytransmitted as a moving image to the first viewer terminal 12 from theserver 2, and the viewer selects and displays a desired image by amanipulation, and thus, is capable of viewing the image. Note that, themotion data of the avatar 12-1 b of the first distributor may betransmitted to the first viewer terminal 12 from the server 2, inaddition to the data of the rendered image as described above, and therendering may be performed by the first viewer terminal 12. Such amodification is also capable of applying to the other parts of thepresent specification.

In addition, the live content that is distributed by the firstdistributor terminal 11 is not limited to the first viewer terminal 12,but other users using this video distribution system are also capable ofperforming an application to view the live content.

The operation of the start of the distribution and the viewing of thelive content, described above, is completely the same in the seconddistributor terminal 21 and the second viewer terminal 22 belonging tothe second distribution group 20, FIG. 11 illustrates that a background41, a traffic light 43 that is the virtual item, a second virtual camera42 having a field angle of θ2, and an avatar display 12-1 c of a seconddistributor are included in a second virtual space 40 that is used inthe distribution of the live content by the second distributor terminal21, FIG. 12(A) illustrates a rendering image seen from the viewpoint ofthe avatar display 12-1 c of the second distributor, and FIG. 12(B)illustrates a rendering image seen from the viewpoint of the secondvirtual camera 42.

[Commitment of Virtual Item in Virtual Space]

Next, a commitment operation of the first virtual item 12-1 drepresenting the ribbon-type appearance in order for indicating thesupport, the praise, or the like with respect to the live content fromthe first viewer terminal 12 viewing the live content that is beingdistributed by the first distributor terminal 11 will be described withreference to FIG. 13 , FIG. 14 , and FIG. 15 .

First, a viewer who plans to perform the commitment of the virtual item12-1 d performs the application of the commitment and the transmissionof item data with respect to the server 2 from the first viewer terminal12, as an item commitment operation (step S201). The item data, forexample, includes ribbon-type appearance data or the like, such as thefirst virtual item 12-1 d illustrated in FIG. 14 .

The server 2 stores the received item data by the same method as that ofthe motion data of the first distributor avatar 12-1 b, that is, byusing the same configuration that is the same storage means or the sametransmitting means, and transmits the item data to the first distributorterminal 11 (step S202). As a result thereof, in the first distributorterminal 11, in addition to the data of the first distributor avatar12-1 b, the virtual space 30 is rendered by using the data of thevirtual item 12-1 d subjected to the commitment so far, and then, in thelive content that is distributed by the first distributor terminal 11,an image of the first virtual item 12-1 d is added to the live content,as with a rendering image seen from the viewpoint of the firstdistributor avatar 12-1 b, illustrated in FIG. 15(A), and a renderingimage seen from the viewpoint of the second virtual camera, illustratedin FIG. 15(B) (step S203), and the image can be visually recognized byall viewers viewing the live content (including the first distributor),and thus, all of the viewers understand the feeling of support or praisethat the viewer wanted to represent (step S204).

[Execution of Common Distribution]

Next, each operation in which the second distributor terminal 21performs the common distribution in a state where the first viewerterminal 12 is viewing the live content that is distributed by the firstdistributor terminal 11, described by using FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 , will bedescribed by using FIG. 16 to FIG. 18 .

In this embodiment, as an example, the common distribution is permittedin advance by the first distributor terminal 11, and thus, the commondistribution is applied to the server 2 from the second distributorterminal 21 (step S401).

The server 2 accepting the application transmits a common distributionrequest to the first distributor terminal 11 distributing the livecontent that is a target (step S402). In a case where the permission isobtained (step S403), the permission is notified to the seconddistributor terminal 21 from the server 2 (step S404), and the seconddistributor terminal 21 receives the permission, and transmits theavatar 12-1 c of the second distributor, and all data items in a casewhere there is the avatar of the viewer in the live content that isdistributed from the second distributor terminal or there is thecommitment virtual item, to the server 2 by using the same method asthat of transmitting or storing the motion data or the appearance dataof the avatar, described above, that is, the common storage means or thecommon transmitting means (step S405). The server 2 transmits thereceived data to the first distributor terminal 11 by the same method asthat of the motion data of the avatar, that is, the common storage meansor the common transmitting means (step S406). It is sufficient that thefirst distributor terminal 11 receiving the data renders the firstvirtual space 30 as with the motion data of the avatar, and as a resultthereof, the first virtual space 30 is changed as with a conceptualdiagram of the first virtual space of FIG. 16 . The first distributorterminal 11 transmits a rendering image seen from the viewpoint of thefirst distributor avatar 12-1 b and the second distributor avatar 12-1c, illustrated in FIG. 18(A), and a rendering image seen from theviewpoint of first virtual camera 32, illustrated in FIG. 18(B), to theserver 2 (step S407), and then, the server 2 distributes each of therendering images illustrated in FIG. 18 to all of the viewers viewingthe live content that has been distributed from the first distributorterminal 11 so far and all of the viewers viewing the live content thathas been distributed from the second distributor terminal 21 so far, asa live content (step S408).

Here, it is important that the start of the common distribution is basedon the will of each distributor who has distributed each live content.The viewer of each live content visually recognizes a new avatar on thebasis of the determination in a dimension different from the own will orparticipates in the viewing of a new live content, and thus, there is anelement of surprise and amusingness on production, in the position ofthe viewer, and there is a merit of increasing a target to be supportedor praised. In addition, there is a merit of increasing the number ofviewers and the range of viewers of the live content that is staged bythe distributor, in the position of each of the distributors.

[Execution of Virtual Item Commitment after Common Distribution]

Next, as described above by using FIG. 16 to FIG. 18 , a commitmentoperation of the virtual item in which the avatar or the like of thelive content that is distributed by the second distributor terminal 21participates in the live content that is distributed by the firstdistributor terminal 11, during the common distribution, will bedescribed by using FIG. 19 to FIG. 24 .

In a case where the commitment is performed in the live content duringthe common distribution from the first viewer terminal 12, itemcommitment (the application of the commitment and the transmission ofthe item data) is performed with respect to the server 2 from the firstviewer terminal 12, by the method described above (step S501), and thetransmission of the item data is performed with respect to the firstdistributor terminal 11 from the server 2 (step S502), and thus, thefirst distributor terminal 11 subsequently renders the first virtualspace 30 by including the virtual item 12-1 d representing a ribbonshape, and then, an image rendered from the viewpoint of the firstdistributor avatar 12-1 c and the viewpoint of the second distributoravatar 12-1 c (FIG. 21(A)) and an image rendered from the viewpoint ofthe first virtual camera 32 (FIG. 21(B)) are distributed to all of theviewer terminals and the distributor terminals subjected to the commondistribution (steps S503 and S504).

As a result thereof, the range of viewers of the live content increases,and thus, the viewer is capable of representing the support or thepraise with respect to a surprising live content that the viewer did nothave an opportunity to view with the intention or on the basis ofinformation, the result of the support or the praise by the virtual itemcommitment is expanded even to a wider range of viewers and a largernumber of viewers, and the commitment of the virtual items is extremelyeffective.

Note that, a commitment operation of the virtual item from the secondviewer terminal 22 is illustrated in FIG. 22 to FIG. 24 , and a secondvirtual item 33 indicating a commemorative shield, used in thecommitment, has a shape different from that of the first virtual item12-1 d, and thus, for example, it is also possible for the other viewerto understand from which viewer the item has been thrown and to enjoythe creativity of the shape of the virtual item itself.

Modification Example 1 ˜Arbitrary Properties of Disposition of EachConfiguration

In the above description of this embodiment, the rendering of eachviewpoint image with respect to the virtual space staged by thedistributor is performed by a distributor terminal of an organizer.However, such a configuration is not essential for the implementation ofthe present invention. That is, the rendering may be performed by theserver, or may be performed by the other distributor terminal performingthe common distribution and each of the viewer terminals viewing thelive content. In order to perform the rendering as described above, itis sufficient that the background of the virtual space, the data of thedisposed virtual item, the data of each of the avatars, and the data ofthe commitment virtual item are transmitted in advance to the server orthe terminal to be rendered, and the detailed configuration or procedureis obvious from the configuration of this embodiment described above.

Modification Example 2—Diversity of Aspect of Common Distribution

Similarly, in the above description of this embodiment, in the commondistribution, each of the avatars or the commitment virtual item isshared between the virtual space 30 and the virtual space 40 while thebackground or the existence of the virtual item is maintained byutilizing the virtual space 30 on an application side of the commondistribution. However, such a configuration is not also essential, andfor example, the background or the virtual item on the virtual space 40side may be utilized, or the rendering may be performed such that thebackground of the virtual space or the virtual item that the viewer hasbeen viewing before the common distribution is utilized. As describedabove, in order to perform the rendering, the background of the virtualspace or the data of the disposed virtual item, the data of each of theavatars, and the data of the commitment virtual item may be transmittedin advance to the server or the terminal that plans to perform therendering, and similarly the detailed configuration or procedure isobvious from the configuration of this embodiment described above.

Modification Example 3—Utilization of Virtual Item for Commitment towhich Motion Information is Added

As described above, the virtual item subjected to the commitment in thevirtual space is configured in the system 1 of the present example to betransmitted or stored by the same procedure and configuration as that ofthe motion data (the motion information) of the avatar (a substitution)of the distributor or the viewer.

Accordingly, as with the avatar, motion information (positioninformation, direction information and speed information of movement,posture information, sound information, oscillation information, and thelike) can be included in the virtual item used in the commitment.

By setting the virtual item to a virtual item for commitment to whichsuch motion information is added, various productions for increasing theinterest or the attention of the user can be performed.

For example, a schematic view illustrated in FIG. 25(A) indicates aproduction in which the virtual item 12-1 d subjected to the commitmentin the virtual space 30 falls from the top to the bottom and lands onthe ground of the virtual space. The commitment of the item, forexample, is common to a sense of throwing “Ohineri (wrapped offering)”onto the stage of the theater or throwing bouquet in a wedding, and sucha production is a production of a natural sense and is easy to get thecompathy of the viewer.

Similarly, a schematic view illustrated in FIG. 25(B), is a productionin which when a commitment target of the item, for example, is set tothe first distributor 12-1 b, and performs a predetermined manipulationas described above, the virtual item 12-1 d subjected to the commitmentin the virtual space is moved in the virtual space toward the firstdistributor 12-1 b that is a target of the commitment. From the exampleof “Ohineri (wrapped offering)” described above, such a production canbe a natural production.

Similarly, FIG. 26(A) is a production in which the virtual item 12-1 dsubjected to the commitment in the virtual space is automatically movedaround the virtual space (including flying) or is moved around thevirtual space, in accordance with a manipulation of a person performingthe commitment. Such a production is a considerably noticeableproduction, compared to a case where the virtual item after thecommitment is still in the virtual space, and thus, is useful for theappeal of the commitment.

A schematic view illustrated in FIG. 26(B) is a production in which whenthe number of virtual items 12-1 d subjected to the commitment from aplurality of viewers increases or the same person continuously performsthe commitment of a plurality of items, the thrown items are oncestacked, and then, collapse. It is expected that the commitment of thevirtual item is concentrated on a popular live content, a popular scene,and a popular performer, and such a production is likely to be attainedand has a great effect on the production.

Modification Example 4˜Measure on Production in Commitment of VirtualItem

In desired measures on the production in the case of the commitment ofthe virtual item, including the respects described above, it is a goodmethod to decide a target such as a specific performer and perform thecommitment on the manipulation, in addition to setting the target of thecommitment to the overall live content. The virtual item subjected tothe commitment by specifying the target may be disposed near the targetperson or may be written with the name of the target person.

In addition, it is also desirable to dispose the item subjected to thecommitment within a viewing field of the virtual camera.

Hereinafter, a more preferred embodiment of the commitment item will bedescribed.

More Preferred Embodiment of Commitment Item

An example of the virtual item 12-1 d subjected to the commitment inthis embodiment is a symbol representing the support or the praise ofthe viewer or the distributor, and for example, can be a production suchas a wine glass object that falls from the top to the bottom of thevirtual space (FIG. 27(A)), a grass object that grows on the ground orfrom the bottom of the virtual space (FIG. 27(B)), or firework directedtoward the top from the bottom in the virtual space. In addition, asound production, an oscillation production, an animation production,and the like, associated with the production of such objects, may beadded. The sound production, for example, may be the sound of theblasted firework or a sound effect of clinking wine glasses together, ormay be a voice such as instrumental interlude or shout used in Kabuki orthe like. At this time, in the case of performing a manipulation such assetting the virtual item to be subjected to the commitment to betransparent, it is also possible to perform a production in which only asound is subjected to the commitment as a virtual item. In addition,similarly, a signal for operating an oscillation function may betransmitted to the distributor terminal and/or the viewer terminal atthe time of the commitment of the virtual item, and the oscillationproduction may be added to the commitment of the virtual item.

Physical calculation may be used in the control of the virtual item, andfor example, it is possible to perform a production in which a fallenvirtual item rebounds from the other object or the ground, a productionin which the virtual item is broken by impact or the like and the hiddenother object pops up, a production in which wine glasses subjected tothe commitment are piled up to form a wine glass tower, a production inwhich a falling virtual item collides with a blowing virtual item, andvarious productions of holding, manipulating, or throwing the virtualitem by using the avatar.

In addition, another example of the virtual item is not merely a symbol,but can be a virtual item having a special function or effect, which isused for a specific object. As an example of the function, for example,in a case where the virtual item having a blast function such as a bombis subjected to the commitment, the function can be a function ofblasting the other virtual item, the object, the avatar, and the likeafter a certain period of time or by a predetermined trigger to be blownoff or to disappear, or in a case where a virtual item having a movingfunction such as a living object or a machine is subjected to thecommitment, the function can be a function of pressing the other virtualitem, the object, the avatar, and the like or of causing a mutualinteraction by the behavior of the virtual item.

In addition, another example of the virtual item may be clothes, a ride,a building, a background, a small space occupying a part of the virtualspace, and the like, and by using such virtual items, for example, it ispossible to perform a production in which the avatar wears a costumesubjected to the commitment as a virtual item, a production in which theavatar enters the building subjected to the commitment, a production inwhich the background subjected to the commitment is displayed as thebackground of the virtual space or as a part thereof, or a production inwhich the background of a special photograph or the like or a decoratedsmall space such as a photographic frame (not limited to athree-dimensional space, but including a plane, a curved surface, and asegment) is subjected to the commitment as a virtual item, and theavatar enters the frame, and thus, the avatar performs imagedistribution from another field angle cut from another image.

In addition, another example of the virtual item may be a virtual itemin which the contents set at the time of the commitment of thecommitment person or set in advance are reflected, but not a virtualitem in a format set in advance. The set contents, for example, can bethe contents of letters described in the virtual item, the color or thepattern of the virtual item, the shape of a part of the virtual item orthe entire virtual item, the contents of the movement of a dynamicvirtual item, the type of function of a virtual object having afunction, the combination contents of single virtual items in a virtualitem group in which a plurality of virtual items can be subjected to thecommitment as a set, and the like. In addition, such set contents may bechanged by the manipulation of the commitment person or a predeterminedtrigger, and even in a virtual item already subjected to the commitmentin the broadcasting program or a virtual item subjected to thecommitment in an image of the past, the set contents may be changed bythe manipulation of a person having suitable authority or apredetermined condition.

In addition, another example of the virtual item may be a virtual itemin which additional information such as various numerical value dataitems included in information of the commitment person or item data isdisplayed. The additional information, for example, can be userinformation of the commitment person of the virtual item, a numericalvalue of a point necessary for obtaining the virtual item subjected tothe commitment, a numerical value of a point that is given to thedistributor or the broadcasting program, in accordance with thecommitment of the virtual item, evaluation of the other viewer or thedistributor with respect to the virtual item subjected to the commitmentor the commitment person of the virtual item, and the like. In addition,a display part of the additional information, for example, can be thesurface or the vicinity of the virtual item subjected to the commitment,an arbitrary location inside and outside the virtual space, associatedwith the virtual item subjected to the commitment, another tag, insideanother window, and the like. In addition, the various numerical valuedata items may be a numerical value relevant to the commitment of eachof the virtual items, or a numerical value relevant to the commitment ofa plurality of virtual items belonging to an arbitrary category (forexample, also including a sum, an average, a ranking, and the like).

In addition, another example of the virtual item may be a virtual itemhaving a counting function such as a vote. For example, in broadcastingin which there are a plurality of distributors, a popularity votebetween the distributors, performed by the commitment of the virtualitem of the viewer with respect to the own favorite distributor may beanother example of the virtual item. In such broadcasting, it ispossible to obtain a vote result by counting the total number of virtualitems subjected to the commitment with respect to each of thedistributors, a total value of various numerical value data items thatare the additional information of the virtual item, or the like. Inaddition, a method at the time of designating to which distributor theviewer performs the commitment of the virtual item, for example, may bea method of giving an option to which distributor the commitment of thevirtual item is performed at the time of performing the commitment ofthe virtual item or in advance, or may be a method in which when adedicated virtual item of each of the distributors can be obtained andthe dedicated virtual item is subjected to the commitment, thecommitment is converted as the commitment of the virtual item withrespect to the corresponding distributor. Further, the method may be amethod in which a person performing the commitment of the virtual itemmay designate a commitment position, a movement direction, a track, orthe like of the virtual item, or a method in which the virtual item ismoved in the virtual space, in accordance with such designation, andthus, it is determined that a vote with respect to the contact avatar isperformed.

In addition, another example of the virtual item may be a virtual itemhaving a function of accepting the obtainment of the virtual itemcorresponding to an actual product or the purchase of the actual producton the basis of a commitment record.

In addition, as an example of a commitment method of the virtual item,as described above, the method has been described in which the personperforming the commitment designates the commitment position, themovement direction, the track, or the like of the virtual item, but thecommitment method is not limited thereto, and for example, a position inwhich the commitment can be performed, a movement method, a track, orthe like may be set in advance for each virtual item. For example, avirtual item having required more points to be obtained may bepreferentially subjected to the commitment in the center area of thevirtual space.

In addition, as an example of the production of the virtual item, thevirtual item subjected to the commitment may be changed after a certainperiod of time or by a predetermined trigger. For example, a productionin which the virtual item decreases in 10 seconds after the commitment,a production in which when the virtual items are piled up, the virtualitems collapse to be small, a production in which the virtual itemgradually becomes transparent and disappears, and a production in whichwhen a certain number of virtual items or more are accumulated, thevirtual items are broken into small pieces can be performed. Accordingto such a production, for example, in a case where a volume of virtualitems or a large virtual item are subjected to the commitment, theavatar that is manipulated by the distributor is hidden by the virtualitem, and thus, it is possible to avoid a situation in which theamusingness of the distribution is reduced.

In addition, an example of the production of the virtual item may be aproduction in which the virtual item subjected to the commitment isdisplayed on a part of the distributor terminals and/or the viewerterminals, and is not displayed on the other distributor terminalsand/or viewer terminals. For example, the production may be a productionin which the virtual item subjected to the commitment is displayed on aterminal of a viewer who performs the commitment of the virtual item,but is not displayed on a terminal of the other viewer, in accordancewith the viewer. According to such a production, for example, it ispossible to respond to a request of the viewer who wants to check thevirtual item subjected to the commitment by the viewer but to avoid asituation in which the avatar of the distributor is not viewed by beingburied in the virtual item viewed. In addition, the production may be aproduction in which the virtual item subjected to the commitment by theviewer is displayed on the distributor terminal, but is not displayed onall of the viewer terminals. According to such a production, forexample, it is possible to respond to a request of the viewer who wantsto represent the praise with respect to the distributor but to avoid asituation in which an element of the broadcasting program is disruptedby a volume of virtual items. In addition, the setting of such aproduction may be performed before the broadcasting of the broadcastingprogram, or may be determined and changed during the broadcasting. Inaddition, the setting of such a production may be manipulated by thedistributor terminal, or may be manipulated by the viewer terminal.

In addition, an example of the control of the virtual item may becontrol in which the number of virtual items subjected to the commitmentis limited. For example, in the broadcasting of one broadcastingprogram, there may be an upper limit in the number of virtual itemscapable of being subjected to the commitment. In addition, even afterthe maximum number of virtual items are subjected to the commitment, thevirtual items that can be subjected to the commitment again may befilled after a certain period of time has elapsed or by satisfying acertain condition. According to such control, for example, it ispossible to avoid a situation in which only one type of virtual item isunevenly subjected to the commitment with respect to one broadcastingprogram, and to create an environment in which various virtual items areuniformly subjected to the commitment.

In addition, an example of the control of the virtual item may becontrol of limiting a time for which the virtual item can be subjectedto the commitment or an area in the virtual space in which thecommitment can be performed. For example, the control may be control inwhich when the elapsed time counted from the start of the broadcastingof the broadcasting program is within a predetermined elapsed time, thecommitment of the virtual item is inhibited or is partially limited. Inaddition, for example, the control may be control in which thecommitment of the virtual item is temporarily inhibited or is partiallylimited, on the basis of the manipulation of a person with authority.Further, the control may be control in which with reference to thenumber of virtual items subjected to the commitment in the broadcastingprogram, the total area occupied by the virtual item, or otherparameter, in a case where it is determined that the parameters aregreater than a predetermined threshold value, the commitment of thevirtual item is inhibited or is partially limited. In addition, forexample, the control may be control in which the virtual space isdivided into arbitrary areas, and with reference to the number ofvirtual items subjected to the commitment for each area, the total areaoccupied by the virtual item, or the other parameters, in a case whereit is determined that the parameters are greater than the predeterminedthreshold value, the commitment of the virtual item is inhibited or ispartially limited in the area. In addition, the control may be controlin which when the parameters of the virtual item of the commitment, asdescribed above, through the entire broadcasting program, are greaterthan the predetermined threshold value, the commitment of the othervirtual items is not capable of being performed in a certain area of thevirtual space (for example, an area in which the avatar exists), and thecommitment of the other virtual items is permitted in the other areas(for example, areas in which the avatar does not exist). According tosuch control, it is possible to avoid a situation in which an element ofthe broadcasting program is disrupted by the commitment of a volume ofvirtual items.

In addition, an example of the control of the virtual item may becontrol in which the virtual item does not hit the avatar. For example,the virtual item is set such that a physical mutual interaction occurswith respect to the other object, and the virtual item passes throughonly the avatar (FIG. 29(A)). In addition, for example, there is atransparent wall around the avatar, and the virtual item subjected tothe commitment hits the transparent wall and bounces off, and thus, itis possible to perform setting such that the virtual item does not hitthe avatar (FIG. 29(B)). According to such control, it is possible toavoid a situation in which an element of the broadcasting program isdisrupted by the virtual item hitting the avatar.

In addition, an embodiment in which the measure on the production of thevirtual item to be subjected to the commitment is performed will befurther described by including respects partially overlapping with theabove description.

In consideration of the configuration of performing the commitment ofthe virtual item in the three-dimensional virtual space in the system 1of this example, a method that is implemented by the system is a methodfor performing moving image broadcasting from the server toward anunspecific viewing terminal through a network by using thethree-dimensional virtual space as a target of drawing and transmission,and the method includes a step in which a drawing unit of the serverperforms drawing such that the commitment of the virtual object isperformed in the three-dimensional virtual space, on the basis of arequest from the viewing terminal, and the virtual object or thecommitment operation of the virtual object has the followingcharacteristics on the production.

(A) A production in which the virtual object to be subjected to thecommitment performs a mutual interaction with any virtual object in thethree-dimensional virtual space, by imitating a physical action betweenactual objects in an actual space (FIG. 30(A) and FIG. 30(B)) . . . .For example, the production is a production in which when the virtualobject is a rubber ball, the rubber ball subjected to the commitment inthe virtual space hits the ground in the virtual space and bounces off.Alternatively, the production includes a collision between the virtualobjects, elastic rebound after the collision, and the modification orthe breakage of the virtual object by the collision. The viewer iscapable of enjoying a realistic feeling.

(B) A production in which a human avatar object in the three-dimensionalvirtual space is in contact with the virtual object subjected to thecommitment . . . . In the example of the rubber ball described above,the production is a production in which the rubber ball that is avirtual object hits the avatar in the virtual space and bounces off, orthe avatar kicks the rubber ball, in which it is also possible to have arealistic feeling.

(C) A production in which the virtual object subjected to the commitmentis an image frame in which an image is drawn, and a human avatar in thethree-dimensional space is drawn in the image frame (FIG. 30(C)) . . . .In a case where there is a target performer subjected to the commitmentby the viewer, in a photographic frame, the target performer is zoomedin, and thus, there is an effect that both the performer and the viewerperforming the commitment are remarkable. A letter may be input into theframe.

(D) A production in which ranking information of the viewer terminalperforming the commitment is displayed on the display screen of theviewing terminal . . . . The production is a production in which theviewer who often performs the commitment in the broadcasting program,the performer who often becomes a commitment target, or the like isdisplayed on a part of a moving image broadcasting screen, and thus, aso-called sense of exaltation of “general election” and a motivation forperforming the commitment are enhanced.

(E) A production in which a new virtual object that is a factor for theother virtual objects already subjected to the commitment to disappearis subjected to the commitment, on the display screen of the movingimage broadcasting . . . . The commitment is also a popularity vote, andthus, the commitment may be concentrated on a popular moving imagebroadcasting program, and a popular section or scene, and a popularperformer in the broadcasting program. In this case, as illustrated inFIG. 28(C), the moving image broadcasting screen is fully filled withthe virtual items subjected to the commitment, and thus, it is notpossible to enjoy the original broadcasting screen. Therefore, forexample, the production is a production in which a bomb-type virtualitem is subjected to the commitment to be blasted, and thus, the othervirtual items are cleaned out. There is an element of surprise or anelement of battle, and entertainment is appealed.

(F) A production in which the virtual object subjected to the commitmentis moved to a direction away from the viewpoint in the three-dimensionalvirtual space (FIG. 30(A)) . . . . As described above, the production isa production in which a realistic feeling and a sense of immersion areimparted by using the fact that the virtual space is a three-dimensionalspace. On the contrary, a configuration is also considered in which thevirtual item pops up to the near side from the depth side.

(G) A production in which the virtual object to be subjected to thecommitment is associated in advance with each target person inconnection with the broadcasting, and display is performed for eachtarget person or the attribute is changed, in accordance with thecommitment . . . . For example, the performer is an idol group,commitment items different for each member of the group are prepared,and the viewer selects a dedicated item of the own favorite member. Thisis a type of popularity vote, and thus, it is possible to enjoy a senseof competition and game feeling. In addition, there is merit that whenthe commitment item is accompanied by an actual gift, it is possible todistribute the gifts in the members of the group.

(H) A production in which voice display is performed in accordance withthe execution of the commitment or the movement of the virtual objectafter the commitment . . . . In a case where the virtual object isfirework, a plosive sound is produced, or when the virtual item hits theground, a sound is produced. It is also considered that in the case ofan animal-type item, a crying sound is produced.

(I) A production in which each of the virtual items capable of beingused in the commitment is displayed in advance on the display screen ofthe broadcasting . . . . There are a plurality types of virtual items,and the virtual items are displayed as a menu on the side of thebroadcasting screen to be selected in a menu format. In a case where thetype of virtual item is changed for each broadcasting program, ischanged daily, or is randomly changed, a game element comes out.

(J) A production in which the virtual item capable of being used in thecommitment symbolizes a product, the purchase of the product isestablished by the commitment . . . . It is considered that thecommitment of the virtual item is originally started from the support orthe praise with respect to the broadcasting program or the performer(so-called “Ohineri (wrapped offering)”), and a service of high value isperformed by using such a mechanism or system. In this production, aswith online shopping, a product is selected on the broadcasting screen,and the commitment of the selected virtual item is performed as theexpression of intention of the purchase, but it is not just a purchasebut a feeling of participation in the broadcasting program, and theproduct may be explained in the broadcasting program, and thus, theproduction can be a business of high value.

(K) A production in which letter information that is designated by theviewer who performs the commitment of the virtual item to be subjectedto the commitment is displayed . . . . The posting of the comment withrespect to the moving image broadcasting program has been alreadyperformed, but in the production, the posting is expanded to acommitment service of the virtual item. Since the letter information isdisplayed, a game feeling and a participation feeling are furtherenhanced after the expression of intention of the commitment person isperformed.

(L) A production in which the virtual item to be subjected to thecommitment has an outer shape of a letter (FIG. 30(D)) . . . . There isamusingness that a letter itself falls from the top.

(M) A production in which the virtual object capable of being subjectedto the commitment is different in accordance with the broadcastingprogram to be subjected to the moving image broadcasting . . . . Thesetting of a virtual item based on the contents of the broadcastingprogram leads to the excitement of the broadcasting program itself.

(O) A production in which the virtual item to be subjected to thecommitment is a daily item . . . . The commitment of the item is thesupport, the praise, or the like, and thus, in general, articles havinga gift-giving feeling such as flowers or a trophy are often used, andfamous architectural structures, towers of a landmark, or the like, arealso often used. In contrast, in a case where daily items such as awashing machine and a refrigerator are used as articles having anelement of surprise, which is not used for the above purpose, there isan element of surprise, which leads to excitement or appeal.

(P) A production in which each of the virtual items to be subjected tothe commitment has an upper limit number that can be subjected to thecommitment . . . . It has been described that the commitment isconcentrated on a popular broadcasting program or the like, but in acase where there is an upper limit in the number of times of thecommitment, it is possible to prevent an excessive concentration, and itis also possible to maintain a commitment motivation from a rarityfeeling.

(Q) A production in which the human avatar object in thethree-dimensional virtual space holds the virtual object subjected tothe commitment (FIG. 30(B)) . . . . In a case where the avatar is movedby holding the virtual item subjected to the commitment, there is afeeling as if the performer receives “Ohineri (wrapped offering)”, andthus, a sense of achievement of the commitment can be obtained.

(R) A production in which the virtual item subjected to the commitmentdisappears after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from thecommitment . . . . As described above, an excessive commitmentconcentration is prevented, which leads to a motivation for continuouslyperforming the commitment.

(S) A production in which an appearing position of the virtual itemsubjected to the commitment in the three-dimensional virtual spaceand/or the performance after the appearance are different in accordancewith the attribute of the viewer performing the commitment . . . . Thereis a business operator dividing members of the video distribution(broadcasting) service into paid members and free members, and in orderto treat the paid members or premium members preferentially, itemssubjected to the commitment by such members appear in front of thevirtual space to be remarkable or appear near the performer, or afalling speed of the items is slowed down.

(T) A moving image broadcasting system performing the moving imagebroadcasting from the server to each of the viewing terminals through anetwork by using the three-dimensional virtual space as the target ofdrawing and transmission, the system including a drawing unit performingthe commitment and the drawing of a new virtual object in thethree-dimensional virtual space, on the basis of a request from theviewer terminal, and a simulation calculation unit simulating a physicalmutual interaction in the case of assuming that the existing virtualobject already included in the three-dimensional virtual space and avirtual object to be newly subjected to the commitment are the actualobject in the actual space, to reflect the result of the simulation inthe drawing of the drawing unit . . . . As described above, thecommitment virtual item may elastically rebound (bound) due to acollision with respect to the existing virtual item, and any one or bothof the items may be described as being modified or broken inelastically.Alternatively, while both of the items are not in contact with eachother, the items may rebound each other by the action of a magneticfield or an electric field, and may change the track traveling in thespace.

(U) A moving image broadcasting system performing the moving imagebroadcasting from the server toward each of the viewing terminalsthrough a network by using the three-dimensional virtual space as thetarget of drawing and transmission, the system including a drawing unitperforming the commitment and the drawing of a new virtual object in thethree-dimensional virtual space, on the basis of a request from theviewer terminal, and a user interface unit performing manipulationinstruction for performing a commitment manipulation used in the viewerterminal and/or information display based on the result of eachcommitment performed in advance by using each of the viewer terminals,with respect to the virtual object capable of being subjected to thecommitment . . . . There is a method in which the virtual items that canbe subjected to the commitment by the viewer are displayed in a row onthe side of the display screen to be selected, there is also a methodfor including the commitment by representing information of the type ofdesired item and a desired time by performing the commitment as thebroadcasting program, and insofar the name or an online name of theviewer with the largest number of times of the commitment and thelargest number of points is displayed on the side of the screen, as aranking of the items already subjected to the commitment, it can be anincentive.

(V) A moving image broadcasting system performing the moving imagebroadcasting from the server toward each of the viewing terminalsthrough a network by using the three-dimensional virtual space as thetarget of drawing and transmission, the system including a drawing unitperforming the commitment and the drawing of a new virtual object in thethree-dimensional virtual space, on the basis of a request from theviewer terminal, and an attribute determination unit changing at leastany one of the availability of the commitment, a commitment mode, and adisplay mode after the commitment, in accordance with the attributeimparted in advance to at least any one of the viewing terminal to beused in the commitment, the viewer performing the commitment, and thevirtual object to be used in the commitment, to be reflected in thedrawing . . . . For example, in the moving image distribution service inwhich participation is basically free, in a case where only the paidmembers or the premium members are capable of performing the commitmentof the item, a remarkable item different from the item of the freemember is subjected to the commitment, or in the display screen of thevirtual space, and the commitment can be performed such that the item isdisplayed in the foremost remarkable position, a motivation for joiningthe premium member is improved, and thus, it is possible to contributeto a business profit of the video distribution service. Suchdifferentiation may be performed by the account of the videodistribution service, or may be performed by a unique number of aregistered terminal or the like (a personal computer or a smart phone,and a tablet terminal), and the number of a communication terminal (anIP address or the like). In addition, it may be a method in which forthe virtual object, for example, an item that recommends the commitmentfor each broadcasting program or an item that prohibits the commitmentis set, and the progress of the broadcasting program smoothly proceeds.In addition, in the case of performing different control in accordancewith the attribute such as the type of viewer, viewer terminal, andvirtual item, as described above, a difference in the locationsappearing on the screen, a difference in flying modes in the virtualspace, a difference in the length of time for appearance andcontinuation, and the like may be used as the behavior of the item afterthe commitment, in addition to the availability of the item commitment.

(W) A server including a distribution unit distributing a live contentin which the intervention of the viewer is allowed, a storage unitstoring information for implementing the intervention of the viewer, atransmitting unit transmitting the information to the terminal of theviewer, a receiving unit receiving an implementation request of theintervention from the terminal, and a display control unit syntheticallydisplaying electronic item on an image of the live content, on the basisof the implementation request in a case where the implementation requestof the intervention is received, and in a case where a predeterminedcondition is satisfied, the display control unit limits the interventionof the viewer . . . . As described above, it is a method of inhibitingthe subsequent commitment in a case where the number of times of thecommitment of the virtual item reaches a predetermined limit or oflimiting a time for the commitment of the virtual item.

Here, a configuration for attaining various productions of thecommitment virtual item, as described above, will be described again,with reference to FIG. 31 describing the configuration or the like ofthe content distribution server 2.

As described above, each virtual item used in the commitment has adistinctive appearance and performs a distinctive motion. In addition,some virtual items are capable of performing a continuous motion such ascontact, with respect to the avatar, the other virtual item, or theother item in the virtual space. Therefore, there are various advantagesinsofar as such virtual items have the same data as the avatar describedabove or have a configuration for the rendering.

As an example, the information relevant to the virtual item is stored ina virtual item storage unit 53 of the content distribution server 2, avirtual item is selected by manipulating a viewer terminal 56, acommitment accepting unit 52 of the server 2 receives the selectedsignal, the signal (the appearance and the motion) of selected virtualitem is sent to a distributor terminal 57 through a motion datatransmitting unit 55, the rendering is performed in the distributorterminal 57, along with the information of the other item or avatar, andthe virtual item is sent to the viewer terminal 56 through an image datareceiving unit 50 and an image data transmitting unit 51 of the server2, to be provided for the viewing of the moving image broadcastingprogram.

As another method, in a case where the viewer performs the commitment ofthe own original virtual item, the information of the virtual item maybe prepared in advance in the viewer terminal 56, and may be sent to thedistributor terminal 57 through the server 2 such that the rendering isperformed.

Alternatively, the information of the virtual item may be prepared inthe distributor terminal 57.

In addition, the rendering may be performed by the distributor terminal57, or may be performed by the viewer terminal 56 or the server 2.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a contentdistribution system, content distribution method, and a program, inwhich it is possible to obtain the commitment of a virtual item that isa symbol of support with respect to a live content from a wider range oftarget people not limited to a viewer of a live content that is atarget, it is possible for a wider range of target people not limited tothe viewer of the live content to visually recognize the virtual itemthat is the symbol of the support, and it is possible to make the circleof support with respect to the live content widespread.

The present invention can be implemented in various other forms, andvarious omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made within a rangenot departing from the gist of the present invention. The embodimentsand modifications thereof are included in the scope of the presentinvention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof, aswell as in the scope and gist of the present invention.

1. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computerreadable medium for implementing a common distribution from a seconddistributor into a virtual space to be used for distribution by a firstdistributor, said computer program product containing program code that,when executed on a processor, causes a processor to perform the stepsof: storing a first avatar information of the first distributor and asecond avatar information of the second distributor; accepting, by thefirst distributor, a request for the common distribution from the seconddistributor; and distributing common distribution data including thesecond avatar information, the first avatar information, and informationof the virtual space used by the first distributor for the commondistribution in response to the request from the second distributor. 2.The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each of the firstavatar information and the second avatar information includes at leastone of motion data or appearance data related to an avatar.
 3. Thecomputer program according to claim 1, wherein the common distributiondata is rendered at a viewer terminal.
 4. The computer program productof claim 1, wherein accepting, by the first distributor, the request forthe common distribution from the second distributor further comprises:transmitting the request for the common distribution to the firstdistributor; obtaining an authorization from the first distributor; andnotifying the second distributor of the authorization.
 5. The computerprogram product of claim 3, further comprising: receiving, from theviewer terminal, a virtual item comprising item motion information anditem data, performing a pan of a virtual camera using the item motioninformation, and distributing the virtual item by including the itemmotion information in the common distribution data.
 6. A contentdistribution method by a content distribution server for performing acommon distribution from a first distributor into a virtual space usedfor distribution by a second distributor, comprising: accepting, by thefirst distributor a request for the common distribution from the seconddistributor, storing a first avatar information of the first distributorand a second avatar information of the second distributor; and inresponse to accepting the request for common distribution by the seconddistributor, delivering data including the first avatar information, thesecond avatar information and information of said virtual space used bythe first distributor for distribution.
 7. A content distribution servercomprising: a common distribution reception part in which a firstdistributor is a content distribution server which performs a commondistribution from a second distributor into a virtual space used fordistribution, by accepting a request for the common distribution fromthe second distributor; at least one storage unit storing a first avatarinformation of the first distributor and a second avatar information ofthe second distributor; and a content distribution unit for distributingdata including second avatar information, the first avatar information,and a virtual space information used for distribution by the firstdistributor in response to the request for the common distribution bythe second distributor.